Prior to the rise in popularity of the Internet, limited direct response marketing efforts existed, primarily in non-electronic channels. Marketers engaged in targeting and segmentation efforts, but the marketing involved little if any interactivity. The marketer sent out materials, and for the most part the customers and potential customers either purchased items or did not. The rise in popularity of the Internet led to the use of electronic mail (e-mail) marketing efforts. The use of e-mail led to an increase in the personalization of marketing efforts and to more sophisticated list management. Through e-mail, some marketers also permitted some customers and potential customers to “opt-in” (or “opt-out”) of marketing efforts. This provided a rudimentary level of interactivity.
However, even with opt-in procedures, existing marketing efforts still permit very little interactivity between the marketer and the customers. The ability for marketers easily to alter what is sent to customers, when customers receive marketing materials, and how often they receive materials, is still very limited. Marketers have very limited ability to engage in two-way communications with their customers, or to engage in continuous or long-term dialogues with their customers. In addition, the ability to alter the type of communications (such as e-mail, regular mail, or telephone contact) or substance of communications in accordance with a customer's wishes or responses (or lack of responses) is very limited. Marketers also have a limited ability to alter communications based on trends in the results of current marketing efforts.